Can somebody already please invent something better than a diaper?! I swear, some days I feel like just going to Sears and picking up a wet/dry shop vac to suck up poop off my daughters behind. Disposable diapers have been around, for what 40-400 years now? And regular cloth diapers are just plain nasty to clean, aren't good for parents like me who are always out and about, oh yeah- and they suck for the environment too (spotted owls can't nest in them or something like that...)
Last week my daughter had the nastiest diaper rash, I'm not sure what kind of experiences other parents have had, but this was pretty bad. Her little butt looked like she sat in a can of red paint. The pediatrician prescribed something called "Butt Paste". We laughed, of course, thinking it was an inside joke. Upon picking up the prescription at the pharmacy we were surprised to find out it is in fact called "Butt Paste". Anyhow, we've narrowed it down to either milk or too much fruit that gave her the runs (or medically known as “the squirts”), and the possibility of non-breathable disposable diapers. If you think about it (which I haven't really), that butt is airtight in there.
So we decided to try a part-time, semi-cloth alternative called gDiapers ($20.99 starter kit @ Whole Foods), a new unconventional diaper with cloth covers and a flushable inserts. I must admit, as a designer, the packaging and concept drew me in. It really is an ingenious idea as a middle ground between cloth and disposable diapers. The inserts are flushable and come with a toilet stir stick (But I still threw the liner in the diaper pail for fear it could cause a toilet back-up). They also claim you could "throw the liner in your garden to decompose".... uh, that's pretty disgusting to me and I don’t want the dog digging it up (or the neighbors to think we’re hippies and smell funny). So far, they're working but we're only using them at night for now. But if they leak or aren't super absorbent, those spotted owls are back to nesting in my daughter's diapers once again and I'm going to Sears.
"A toilet stir stick"? Hmm, Thoreau said "Beware of any enterprise that requires new clothes" but I say "beware of any product that comes with a toilet stir stick ...
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, that is a good idea.
Update on the g diapers: Working out pretty well. The flushable liner has nearly clogged our low-flow toilets a few times. But thankfully eventually "flushed". We're still only using them during the night.
ReplyDeleteWow- I really have to admire Jason looking for feedback on his product through Blogs.
ReplyDeleteAn update on our gDiaper use- we have figured out the right amount of swishing with the stir stick to make the liner go down correctly with only one flush. My wife really likes flushing aspect (where poop should go) and we're growing more accustom to them everyday. No leaks or spills are a good plus too!
They really are ingenious...Thanks Jason for bringing a good alternative to disposable diapers to the US from forward thinking-diaper Australia. Hopefully they will catch on with parents…
Big Tony
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know that a customer has just set up a website just for customers.
It seems experts help the newbies. If you want to dive on there if you want to share your experience or get any question answered, thats a pretty good resource. Gawd I love the net - the fact that in this day and age a customer can just fire up a website just for our customers is pretty cool as she explains, she isn't affiliated with us - just a really passionate person.
There are about 140 Mums and Dads there. The URL is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gDiapers/
Cheers
Jason
Ps Love your blog and its look and feel. Hows that pipe go for you?
Jason,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up. I'll definitely check it out-
As for the pipe, I don't smoke. I just like the 'look' :)
BTW- the wife likes the 'giggle pink' color. Our daughter doesn't have a pumpkin-butt anymore.
In our house it was "D" for diapers, (cloth), and "R" for rubber pants. What will they come up with next.
ReplyDeleteTimes have changed. LOL! As the previous poster noted, "D" if for "diapers", old fashioned cloth, "R" is for "rubber pants". My kids learned and knew those two letters when they were still in the crib.
ReplyDeleteDebbie